The invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning textile material of natural or synthetic fibers, e.g. cotton. The fiber material is conveyed by an air current through a feed box to an opening roller cooperating with a cleaning grate. The conveying air is separated at the feed box. The waste resulting from contaminations accumulates beneath the cleaning grate and is discharged.
It has been known, in case of general textile fiber material opening means (GB No. 21 08 543), to separate the conveying air in advance of a processing machine and remove it as spent air from the process. Alternately, it is known to use it for the transport of the opened fiber material to another stage of the process. In the first mentioned case, high expenses are incurred for cleaning the transport air before it is dismissed into the atmosphere. In the last mentioned case, the separated transport air is recycled into the process. In general, the separated transport air is polluted with dust and other contaminants. Since the fiber material has already passed one or more processing states, it is again exposed to dust or other contaminating particles and the further fiber opening procedure is affected accordingly.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an air duct in connection with a cleaning apparatus due to which a high cleaning effect is obtained with a low loss of material fibers and the air duct may be operated economically as well by saving energy.